This study used a sample (n=967) of academically gifted adolescent students attending summer enrichment programs and participating in urban school districts' gifted programs to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Adolescent Coping Scale. Results suggest the instrument is sufficiently reliable for group administration and research purposes…

The Observation Procedure for Technology Education Mental Processes, a computerized assessment tool, was based on duration and frequency of mental processes needed for problem solving. Videotapes of students completing problem-solving activities were used to identify the processes. Interrater reliability tests validated the program. (SK)

Using M. R. Weisbord's model of organizational diagnosis, researchers developed the Student Organization Environment Scales to measure students' perceptions of the psychosocial environment or climate of college student organizations. Development of the instrument is described and estimates of its reliability and validity are reported. Describes…

The influence of information level on the production of accuracy of 20 children was examined. Data were children's productions of nouns in sets of utterances referring to triplets of pictures representing noun-verb-noun utterances. (Author/JL)

Eleven leadership measures for children, youth, and adults are reviewed in the context of current leadership theories and psychometric standards for test use. Measures for assessing leadership among children are considered inadequately normed and lacking in reliability and validity data, but leadership measures for adults are seen as more…

Primary among the issues in research on school-age children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is the prediction and control of aggressive behavior. This paper examines issues in the direct measurement of classroom aggression including low base rates, interactional sequences, and reliability. (Author/DB)

Grading profiles for formative and summative assessment in a British nursing school were designed with criterion referencing to improve validity and interrater and intercourse reliability. Assessment was conceptualized as an ethical activity that clarifies expectations through specification of criteria. (SK)

Asserts that although no instrument has proved sufficiently robust to recommend universal screening, screening instruments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can play an important role. Discusses the clinical issues raised in screening for a developmental disorder, including risk status, management advice, and availability of services. Asserts…

Discusses the quality of school-level data collected as part of state accountability systems, including the reliability and validity of school-level test scores as a measure of the value added by schools to student learning, outlining ways that these data can be usefully analyzed; illustrating challenges inherent in doing so; and discussing…

Evaluates the use of discrimination indexes (or item-total correlation) for examining the reliability of examinations. States this technique has drawbacks and may cause examination validity to be lower. Discusses the idea of discrimination power and why poor students may answer an item correctly. (CMK)

Provides information about informal reading inventories (IRI), an early reading assessment. Explains what IRIs are; who should administer an IRI; when and how to administer an IRI; the reliability of data from IRIs; and the limitations of IRIs. (PM)

In order to locate optimal cutoff scores for detecting developmental delays, the Brigance Screens were administered to 408 children (ages 21-48 months) along with a criterion battery measuring achievement and intelligence. The Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses were then used to locate optical cutoff scores for each form of the Brigance.…

Developed a counseling self-efficacy instrument in order to examine change in counselors across a broad range of training and experience. Self-efficacy theory and models of counselor development make similar predictions about increases in counseling self-efficacy due to clinical training and experience. Results showed strong reliability and…

Discusses the development of a computer literacy measurement instrument for undergraduates. The reliability and validity of the survey are assessed using longitudinal and cross-sectional data, and results are compared to another instrument. A copy of the survey is appended. (Author/LRW)

Most Web site rating systems overemphasize technological "bells and whistles." The University of Georgia's information quality criteria address site access and usability; resource identification and documentation; author identification; authority of author; information structure and design; relevance and scope, validity, and accuracy and…